The more I ruminate on the War Campaign’s “thrilling” conclusion, the less and less I like it.
Not because it was anticlimactic (which it was), or because it lacked catharsis (which it did), but because of what it means for the Horde.
The reveal that Sylvanas is Azeroth’s next Big Bad has diminished and toxified the Horde’s every accomplishment over the course of BfA. The War of the Thorns, the War Campaign, Arathi, Darkshore, every blow struck against the Alliance, every victory, every triumph, was done in the name and at the behest of someone who not only does not care about the Horde, but who would see it destroyed. BfA has seen the Horde made a faction of pawns, and its players unwitting mooks for the Lich King’s heir apparent.
Meanwhile, while the Alliance has been battered, victimized, and spat upon (and none moreso than the night elves), their every action has been rendered heroic. We now know that every blow struck against the Horde was not merely a blow struck against a political rival, but a blow struck against a force that would see every life on Azeroth put to the torch. The Alliance’s gleaming white armor is not only untarnished, it shines all the brighter.
And that’s not fair.
I’m pretty sure Alliance players didn’t sign up to be Azeroth’s victim-saviors, and I’m damn sure Horde players didn’t sign up to be unthinking goons.
It’s not right that only one faction gets to play the hero (albeit at a steep cost), while the other gets everything they’ve achieved retroactively tainted.
Both factions should get to feel heroic. Both factions should get to play the hero.
So… I’m sorry, Hordies. None of this feels fair. I can only hope Blizzard does right by you, by all of us, the next time around.